As the spectators take to the air, the ash plumaged woman ambles forward, and Kuro moves to greet her. Long hackle feathers follow the entire length of her neck, and quadruple horns grow long from the back of her head, pointing nearly straight behind her. Tufts of unkempt feathers bunch up in spots on her face, and whiskers dangle from her muzzle down to the rocky ground. She stands slightly crooked, hunched against her good front leg.

After rubbing their heads together in greeting, the elderly one asks Kuro in a hoarse voice, “When are you going to stop getting into fights, dear?”

“As soon as Kin stop deserving them,” she grumbles, giving her down feathers a quick brush with her fangs.

Feeling safe to approach, I trot up from the side and call, “Kuro, are you alright?” Out of the corner of my vision, I watch the eyes of the ash-plumaged Kin go wide.

“Yeah,” says Kuro, her voice cool like an autumn breeze. She averts her eyes and adds, “I’m fine.” I watch her for a moment, believing she’s about to follow up her response with something else. But instead, she stays quiet, refusing to even look at me. Why is she being so distant?

“Well, then. It’s good to see you, Kuro. Is she the urgent matter?” The elderly Kin angles her ears and studies me closely.

Kuro says nothing, stuck in her thoughts and staring into the distance. After an awkward moment, I speak up for her. “Yes, I believe I am. Are you Kuro’s grandmother?”

“Meldi,” she corrects with a hint of impatience. “Daughter-Of-Koco. Where did you find this Loner, Kuro? She smells faintly of the Farlands.” Instead of waiting for a response, she slides her gaze to me. “What’s your name?”

I give Kuro a sidelong glance and find she’s already looking at me. “Go ahead,” she says.

It sounds like it’s my turn to do the talking. I straighten my neck and roll my wings, sure of what happens next. “My name is Princess Asha Lordanou. I smell like the Farlands because… I’m a Farlander. Something terrible happened to me, and, somehow, I turned into a Lithan.”

Meldi’s brow furrows, and she loosens her wings like she just encountered prey. “A Farlander?”

“Yes,” I reply, keeping my voice steady. “A member of the royal family of Ellyntide. I was born a Ruffed Lemur in the city of Varecia.”

Meldi flicks her eyes between Kuro and me like she was trying to determine if we were being serious.

“Enyll and I saw her lose consciousness right as a false-kin was about to take her life,” Kuro adds. “When we found her, the farland scent was overpowering. She had only been in Felra a few—”

“Jimbaldung,” Meldi interrupts. “Kuro, you fool. This fress may have flown from the Farlands, but someone told her what Ellyntide is.” She looks at me and continues, “If you’re a Farlander, then prove it.”

Prove it?

“Erm…” If I could change back to normal, I wouldn’t be here right now, you know?

“She spoke to an airship-prey,” Kuro says, reminding me that I did prove it. “One that her mother, the leader of Ellyntide, had sent to Felra. She used her authority to command it to leave. Me, Enyll, Ykuvi, and Gima all witnessed this.”

Meldi looks at me disbelievingly, still unconvinced. She sits against the ground and folds her wings tight. “What is the Goddess’ name?”

Oh, a pop quiz? That’s simple. “Etain.”

“And the deity for avians?”

“Scew.”

She scowls, studying my face for a moment before she continues, “What are all the Farlander kingdoms of the moon?”

“Ellyntide, Sarlain, Nortane, Melicola, Truce, and Mortha,” I reply without hesitation. “Oh! And we think Ryne is still there, though nobody’s gone down to visit them since ancient times.”

“Mortha?” she tilts her head. “That is not in our teachings.”

“They were established as a sovereign enclave in the 778 Richelieu treaty. Maybe that’s why?”

Her neck droops. “Fress, I understood nothing you just said.”

“Oh! Well, they’re a new kingdom, let’s put it that way.” They’re not technically a kingdom, nor is Nortane, but we don’t need to turn this into an exercise in pedantry. As if they would understand what a democracy is, anyways.

Meldi’s eyes narrow. She rises to scrutinize me, circling around and sniffing my feathers to locate perhaps anything that might expose me as being duplicitous. I keep my head pointed forward and allow this to occur without objection, aware that I’ll have to accept any vetting they perform on me.

“So, you have visited the Farlands recently. Suppose you return and fly straight from the crossing until you reach a long, claw-shaped island. If you bank right and keep flying until you reach land, which Kingdom would you be in?” Meldi settles on her haunches and a smug grin forms across her face. She must think she just asked a zinger of a question to show I’m a fake, huh?

Well, she didn’t. “You’d be in Ellyntide,” I say. Immediately, her entire face deflates. “That island is called Orkie Island. To the north is Fort Richter, where most of our airship-prey live. And to the south, the Ellynyide mainland and the edge city of Coleport.”

A ‘claw-shaped’ island? Obviously, that’s the crescent-shaped island where I spent the night and kindly asked some loggers to share the moose they killed. And turning right from there just leads you into Ellyntide — It’s precisely the same route I took to fly to Felra, but reversed! She couldn’t have picked something I’m more familiar with!

“Kuro,” Meldi rasps, moving to sit in front of her. “Precious few Kin are old enough to know still the route to our hunting grounds in Ellyntide Kingdom… I’m far too old for riddles, so please be straight with me. Did she really speak to an airship-prey?”

Kuro nods. “Yes, grandmother. I saw it with my own eyes. I have no doubt she is whom she claims to be.”

Meldi stares into Kuro a moment, then down at me. She releases a long breath and rolls loose stones under her talons. I’m sure if it were anyone but her granddaughter explaining this to her, she would never believe it. After a silent moment, she mumbles, “Well. This is certainly unexpected. My granddaughter has fetched a Farlander for me.”

“We must call the elders and summon Keuvra,” Kuro takes a step forward. “Asha does not know how to hunt. She seeks admittance into the flock so she may learn.”

Meldi looks at me with disbelief. “You don’t?”

“No,” Kuro answers for me. “Last night, Asha explained how Farlanders ‘farm’ prey. It is… different from our ways.”

Meldi scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief. “So, a Farlander needs our help to hunt prey. I don’t see how she’s the flock’s concern.”

“She’s our concern because Keuvra allowed her transformation to occur! If she weren’t important, he would’ve stop—”

“No, no, no….” Meldi rises and holds a wing up in front of Kuro to silence her. “If Keuvra had something planned for this fress, he would have told us about her at the last gathering. I won’t summon the elders and call a gathering just for one Dragon.”

Kuro weaves her head around Meldi’s wing. “Asha can’t wait until darkmoon! She’ll die before then!”

Meldi chitters to herself, “How ironic. Don’t you see what’s happening, Kuro? First, the Farlanders chased us from our hunting grounds, and now they’ve come here for our prey!”

“But—!”

I brush a wing against Kuro to stop her. I appreciate her arguing on my behalf, but this is my fight to wager, not hers. She exhales sharply to calm herself but seems to understand what I’m asking. She nods and motions with a wing to continue.

“Meldi,” I speak in a reassuring tone. “Bonelo told me the story about your flock’s history with airship-prey. It’s... heartbreaking to learn, and I wish we could have communicated with each other before now. But in my Kingdom, I’m someone who’s very important, and my disappearance negatively affects tens of thousands of lives. I only wish to trouble you long enough to learn how to return to normal or at least communicate with my family in Ellyntide. Nothing more.”

Meldi’s expression softens a little, but only briefly, before turning resolute. Sensing I’ve failed to convince her, I brace myself for what’s to come. “Fress, I’m sorry that you can’t talk to your Kin any longer. But to summon the entire flock to the aerie, an emergency must affect the entire flock. Just because you—”

SKREEEAK!!!

A cry from above splits the conversation and silences Meldi’s verdict. I barely have time to turn skyward before the source of the noise comes in fast for a landing only a few yards away from us.

“Frida!” Kuro exclaims with a relieved voice. “There you are!”

A pale gray Lithan gives her wings a quick shake and bounds forward. The smell of prey is fresh on her feathers, and dried blood covers her chin. “Hi, Kuro! Grandmother, our hunt this morning at Fro’s Bottom went well. I brought you a young spikehorn!”

This must be the sister Kuro was looking for at Flat Rock this morning. Her feathers are scruffy like Kuro and Meldi’s though a considerable shade lighter with streaks of black at the tips. She’s smaller than me, though her horns are just poking above the hackles on the back of her head. Comparing her to the other fledges I saw, this must make her a teenager.

“Warm currents, Frida. It’s good to see you at the aerie.” Meldi smiles, seemingly relieved that Frita showed up. Or maybe she’s just appreciative of the food?

“Who’s he?” Frida asks, angling her ears toward me.

“She,” I correct.

“Who’s she?”

“Her name is Asha,” Kuro answers. “Despite how she looks, she’s a Farlander. Yesterday, she scared away an airship-prey.”

Frida flicks her eyes to me in disbelief and raises a talon like she were about to backtrack but keeps her legs planted. She scans me up and down and asks, “Really?! A Farlander?”

“It seems so,” says Meldi.

Frida’s eyes light up. “Seriously?! Oh, wow! She even smells like a Farlander!”

I chuckle a bit at her analysis and how little convincing it took to make her believe I’m a Farlander. Is it because she’s naive, or is it because she trusts in her family?

Frida steps forward and dips her head. “Blue skies, Asha! My name is Frida. I’m Kuro’s sister!”

“Warm currents, Frida. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,” I mantle my wings and dip my legs like I was performing a Lithan curtsy. It gets a solid laugh out of her.

“Oh, gosh!” she vibrates in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to meet a Farlander!! I have so many questions to ask!! Grandmother, will you summon the flock so we can all talk to her?”

Meldi settles against her haunches and shakes her head. “Well, no, dear. I’m not going to do that.”

“Huh?” Frida’s neck slumps, and her face deflates like a balloon. “Why not?”

“She doesn’t believe the flock should help Asha,” Kuro answers in a suggestive tone. Meldi shoots a deathly glare at her in response but chooses to remain silent.

Frida swivels between Kuro and Meldi, completely crestfallen, before turning to me. “Asha, do you need help?”

“Yes,” I say, launching a brief primer on my situation and how I arrived in Felra. While I explain my story once more, I occasionally hear Meldi gruff and shoot a bitter glance at Kuro. Why is she so upset at her?

“...Meldi was beginning her explanation right as you landed,” I explain, reaching the end of the story. For her part, Frida listened to everything quite intently, her expression turning severe as soon as I told her I didn’t know how to hunt. But now that I’ve caught up to the present, she’s become quite distraught. Her tail is swaying behind her impatiently, and it looks like she could erupt at any moment. “It seems that to summon the flock, there must be an emergency that affects the whole flock. So, I gue—”

“Grandmother!!” Frida hisses. I saw it coming a mile away, but the indignation in her voice still catches me by surprise. With her hackles raised, she lowers herself and growls, “Why won’t you summon the flock for Asha?!”

“No…” Meldi says, angling her ears back. “I will not fight my granddaughters over a Farlander.”

A fire rages in Frida’s eyes as she stares her down. “And you’re just going to let Asha die? She can’t survive unless we help her!!”

“Neither can our flock if we give shelter to every—“

“Is it because of tradition, Grandmother?! Every time the elders make a decision, it’s always ‘tradition’ this and ‘precedent’ that! Is it our tradition to kill the first Farlander we ever have a conversation with?”

Goodness gracious. What happened to the cute little girl who bounded up a few moments ago? Frida’s become a competently different Dragon! I’ve noticed that Lithans get into arguments with each other quite often, but it seems this one is managing to attract some attention from around the aerie. Is this what it sounded like the other day in the palace when I erupted on mom?

Meldi growls, “Our traditions are to prey on any Farlander foolish enough to cross our path. But you wouldn’t know that. You’ve never encountered one of the weak prey sp--”

Kuro interrupts, “And welcome those weary Dragons with capable wings and fangs, wherever they—”

Meldi interrupts Kuro with a snap of her jaws, and Kuro reels back in surprise. Before either of us can react, Frida moves like lightning and stands between us, outstretching her wings as a shield. Kuro and I fall into our own aggressive postures, ready to defend ourselves if necessary.

“Frida!!” Meldi snarls. “Stop this at once!!”

“No…” Frida shakes her head. “Keuvra is going to be furious when he finds out Asha died because we wouldn’t take in a Dragon in need. Can’t you see? We have to help her!”

We stare each other down as fervent growls rise, neither side willing to relent in their position. Could a fight really break out? I tense my muscles, ready to leap out of the way if one indeed does. I won’t act like I’ve never resorted to violence before in these situations, but to arrive in the aerie and immediately get into a fracas with one of the flock’s most revered Lithans isn’t something I want to be known by.

But before things can turn hot, slowly, Meldi raises her head. “I will not… fight both of my granddaughters over a Farlander…” she pants, lowering her feathers back down. “So be it. If my granddaughters will it, then so be it. I will gather the elders, and Keuvra will be summoned.”

I exhale while Kuro and Frida relax alongside me. Maybe it’s because I’m around Lithans, but even for me, that was far too tense of a situation. My heart feels like it could jump from my chest and run away.

Frida shakes her wings and smiles. “Thank you, Grandmother.”

“You’re doing the right thing,” Kuro adds. “Kevura will--”

“Now!” Meldi snaps, the cantankerous tone of her voice fully restored. “If we are calling the Flock, then the voice of Kin must be used. Kuro, bring Asha with you.”

Frida’s eye light like fireworks. “Seriously?! Kuro gets to do it?”

Meldi nods and smiles.

Kuro stares with her muzzle agape before she forces herself to straighten up. “Mmh, yes! Thank you for the privilege, grandmother.”

“The voice of Kin?” I squeak. What’s going on? Why are they acting like the confrontation never occurred? And why is the ‘voice’ so important? But before I can inquire further, Kuro and Frida bound away and flare their wings open for take-off. “Come on, Asha!!”

W-what?! “Hey…! What’s going on?!”

The two sisters thrust into the air and take flight from the rock. I don’t even have the time to ask Meldi what’s going on before I realize they’re flying so fast that I’ll have to chase after them.

“Where are you going?” I call out, trying to catch up as they soar through the aerie.

Kuro angles her neck back and shouts, “To the top of the mountain! We’re going to summon the flock!”